CHENNAI: “I’m only worried about one thing,” says former India captain IM Vijayan. “It’s raining heavily here.”‘Here’ is the autonomous Chinese province of Macau where Vijayan has accompanied the Indian football team as an observer for the All India Football Federation.
On Tuesday, the team will take on the home side for one of the most important matches of the last decade. Win, and they are potentially three points away from qualifying for the 2019 Asian Championships in UAE.
“We should be able to beat them,” says Vijayan. “Everyone’s been putting 3-4 goals past them. The team is in a good mood and everyone’s confident.”
A win would take India to nine points from three games. All they have to do to qualify is finish second. With the other two teams in the group — Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan taking on each other — India will go into the last three games defending a five or six point cushion over the team in third place, a position as strong as it can get.
The stats are in India’s favour. Stephen Constantine’s boys have not lost for ten games and have won nine of them.
Macau, on the other hand, has not scored in the two qualifying games they’ve played so far. Myanmar, who India bested in their opening game, pumped four past them in Macau in June. And if they win here, the match that will confirm their Asian berth comes against the same opposition in Bengaluru next month.
Yet, as simple as the task is, it is important to keep your eyes on the ball and not get distracted by the prize on offer. The last time India played in the Asian Cup in 2011, they scored three goals, two of them by current captain Sunil Chhetri. Gouramangi Singh, the man who scored the third one, believes it is vital that the team take it one game at a time. “Of course, I remember how excited we were when we qualified for the Asian Cup the last time,” he says. “But right now, India has not qualified. Yes, they are very close and stand a good chance. But it is important to take it one match at a time.”
Boosting India after a rather sterile show during the friendly against St Kitts and Nevis will be the return of the Bengaluru FC contingent, Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in particular. Constantine has also included quite a few of U-23 players in his squad. As Vijayan points, the only worry will be the rain and the playing conditions. If India manages to surmount that, it will be all sunshine in Macau on Sunday.
vishnu.prasad@newindianexpress.com
10: India are unbeaten for the last ten games, winning nine games in the process.